Los Angeles Police Warn Residents to Arm Themselves Because of Long Response Times

The Los Angeles Police Protective League – the labor union for the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) – warned residents that they’d better “be able to protect themselves,” because of long police response times resulting from being understaffed.

According to the Police Protective League President Jamie McBride, in the West LA division on Thursday morning, there were only three patrol cars covering 65 square miles and 200,000 residents. He thinks there should be at least seven, two-man units patrolling the area.

In an interview with the local CBS affiliate, Bride told reporter Randy Paige, “The citizens need to know they need to be able to protect themselves because if they call 911, we can’t guarantee we’re going to get there in time to help you…West Los Angeles, at the minimum, should have seven patrol units, two-man units working.” CBS2 reported:

California is known for its stringent gun control laws. As a “may issue” state, local authorities can judge whether or not to issue concealed carry permits to applicants. Obtaining a concealed carry permit is easier in the more rural counties compared with larger urban areas such as San Francisco and Los Angeles. Some areas are considered “no issue.”

In the bigger cities, one must demonstrate “good cause” to the sheriff or police chief in order to carry a concealed gun. Citing the Second Amendment or appealing to self-defense is not sufficient. It has to be proven that the applicant’s life is in imminent danger. And even then, it’s still up to the sheriff or police chief.

This isn’t the first time local authorities in California have called on their residents to arm themselves because of police downsizing. In San Bernardino a few years ago, city attorney Jim Penman stated in a city council meeting that residents will need to “lock their doors and load their guns” because of police budget cuts. When asked to clarify, he told the Los Angeles CBS affiliate, “Let’s be honest, we don’t have enough police officers. We have too many criminals living in this city. We have had 45 murders this year…that’s far too high for a city of this size.”